4 hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with U.S. President Donald Trump, the Rabbinical Congress for Peace (RCP), representing 400 prominent rabbis in Israel, intensified its efforts to persuade Netanyahu to abandon the diplomatic fantasy of a two state solution.

The rabbis met today (Tuesday) with Science Minister Ofir Okunes at his office in the Knesset to thank him for his public opposition to this dangerous solution and encouraged him not to concede to the prime minister on this issue.

The rabbis reminded Minister Okunes of the Halachic ruling in the Jewish Code of Law Orach Chaim Chapter 329 that not only is surrendering territory to the enemy forbidden but even “verbal statements” to this effect pushes peace further away and emboldens the terrorists to increase their murderous attacks against Israel.

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A senior White House official declared on Tuesday night that the United States would no longer insist on a “two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian Authority (PA) conflict.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the United States would not seek to dictate the terms of any eventual peace settlement, but would support what the two sides agree to together.

“A two-state solution that doesn’t bring peace is not a goal that anybody wants to achieve,” the official said on condition of anonymity, according to the AFP news agency.

“Peace is the goal, whether that comes in the form of a two-state solution if that’s what the parties want, or something else if that’s what the parties want.”

“That’s going to be up to them, we are not going to dictate what the terms of peace are going to be,” said the official, according to AFP.

The comments mark a change of direction from that of previous administrations which insisted that the “two-state solution” is the best way to resolve the conflict.

They are in line with a report on Channel 10 News on Monday, which said that Trump will not use the term “two states” during his meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu this Wednesday.

Since assuming office last month, Trump has sought to show that the United States is an unwavering ally of Israel, trying to draw a contrast with former President Barack Obama.